The Permain Period

The Extinction

The Permian Period had the biggest mass extinction in the history of the Earth. It happened 251 million years ago. This extinction, nicknamed "The Great Dying", eliminated 90% to 95% of marine life on Earth. Sea life such as Trilobites, and Eurypterids became extinct.  About 70% of land animals were also killed in the catastrophe. Animals such as early insects, amphibians, and reptiles were killed. This extinction put an end to the Paleozoic Era and started the Mesozoic Era.

What Caused It?

There has been speculation for years about what exactly caused the mass extinction of the Permian Period. The following are all possible suspects:

Volcanic Eruptions - There is a theory that the Earth had multiple, gigantic volcanic eruptions. The two flood basalt events, Emeishan and Siberian traps, are proof of this. These eruptions may have led to an aerosol event. That may have slowly killed the food chain as well as led to acid rain.

Impact Event - If an impact was responsible it left shocked quartz in Antarctica and Australia. Shocked quartz has been found there and the Bedout Structure Crater and the Wilkes Land Crater are evidence of an impact event. This theory is also possible because if an asteroid or comet was responsible for the extinction, it was likely that it landed in the ocean, removing evidence of a crater.

Ocean Anoxia - There is a theory that there was a stall in the circulation of the ocean. This would have led to an increase of carbon dioxide in the water. It would also have led to a decrease in oxygen in the water. That would have caused a sea disturbance, making carbon dioxide bubble. This would have led to the destruction of marine life.

Multiple Catastrophes - The joint catastrophes theory explains every piece of evidence scientists have been able to recover. It also "sums up" every possibility and it shows how all of the previous events may all have occured over a few million years.